Lifeguard Duty
by Tony's-Loki
Summary: Tony gets a summer job, hoping it will be exciting. It isn't at first, and then someone is drowning and things get serious. FrostIron! Modern AU. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: One-shot time!  
The ending didn't really turn out the way I wanted it to but whatever...  
Enjoy!**

* * *

Tony sighs and he flaps his hands in front of his face in an attempt to freshen up. "This job sucks," he sighs.

Clint laughs at that. "It's just for the summer, Tony."

"Yeah and summer has barely started," Tony complains. "Come on, I applied for this job because I thought there'd be action, hot girls running around and needing saving!"

Clint snorts at that. "This isn't Bay Watch, Tony. We're lifeguards, we're guarding lives! We're heroes!"

"Yeah, but only if someone drowns and needs saving," Tony says despondently. "Come one! Something has gotta happen soon or this summer is gonna suck!"

"Quit being so melodramatic."

Tony rolls his eyes at that. "I'm not being melodramatic you asshole."

"Uh huh. Anyway, I'm getting some ice cream. You want any?" Clint asks as he stands up and heads toward the ladder of the lifeguard tower.

"Nah, I don't wanna get flabby like you," Tony answers with a smirk.

Clint flicks Tony off and leaves after that.

Tony sighs again as he reclines in his seat, scratching his bare chest out of boredom. He picks up the binoculars on the shelf next to his face and brings them up to his eyes, scanning the beach.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Tony says with a smirk as he watches a busty brunette run toward the shore, dripping wet in a burgundy two piece, her long dark hair slicked back behind her.

He watches as she goes to sit with a group of five guys. He groans as he looks at the beefy blond she bats her eyelashes at and decides to stop being a creep.

Tony removes the binoculars from his eyes and tosses them on the shelf as he sits back. "This job sucks," he says again to the empty salt air around him.

* * *

"Knock knock."

Tony turns and looks at the door as Clint and Natasha walk in.

"Hey Red," he greets as he looks at the curvy Russian.

"Stark," Natasha greets coldly.

"Oh come on, can't you call me Tony like a normal person?"

"Nope."

Tony rolls his eyes as Clint chuckles. "Whatever."

"So how is the first day on the job going boys?" Natasha asks.

"Boring!"

"Great!"

Natasha chuckles as she leans against the shelf. "I promise it gets exciting eventually," she says. "If you're lucky you'll see some action within this first week."

"What about today?" Tony asks impatiently.

"I wouldn't count on it," Natasha answers.

"UGH! THIS JOB SUCKS!"

* * *

Tony looks at his phone and mentally whoops as he sees that his shift is almost over. The day has been long and boring and hot. He can't wait to get out of here.

"What a waste of a day. I can't believe I'm stuck sitting up here and that I'm going to be stuck sitting up here all summer. I'm never applying for this job again," he complains.

"Dude, shut up," Clint groans. "You're so annoying!"

Tony scowls. "You can't honestly say that you're enjoying this job."

"I actually can, thank you," Clint answers.

"Why? Because you get to see Nat run around in a bathing suit all day? She's our boss, man. She's never gonna date you," Tony says.

"Hey, you never know okay? Maybe one day when she watches me save someone she'll realize how much she wants me, and I won't have any reason to say no."

Tony laughs. "Keep on dreaming, Clint. Keep on dreaming."

Clint opens his mouth to protest when suddenly there's a loud scream followed by laughter.

Tony leans forward and picks up the binoculars, looking for the source of the ruckus. He scans the beach until his eyes land on the group that the brunette he was watching earlier went to sit with.

He watches as three of the guys pick up the slender black-haired male that was sitting next to the beefy blond and head toward the water.

Tony can clearly see the slender, pale man struggling to get free, and he can clearly see the terror etched on his face as the group of three carry him further out into the water.

The group lift the man over their heads before tossing him into the ocean and run, laughing, back toward the beach.

The pale man emerges from the water with a livid look on his face and he makes his way back to the beach as well, obviously screaming words that Tony can't hear.

Tony is about to put the binoculars back down when a sudden wave knocks the man face forward before dragging him farther back into the sea, and when the man comes up for air again he's flailing and screaming. Wave after wave crashes over him and drags him farther back, and it's obvious that the man is struggling to stay above water.

Tony stands up and throws the binoculars down. He grabs a rescue board as he runs out of the lifeguard tower and onto the beach.

He runs right past the group the ebony-haired male was with and paddles as quickly as he can manage toward the drowning male.

Tony can hear the man screaming for help frantically but he's still too far out of reach. _Come on come on, stay floating, please!_ Tony thinks as he propels himself forward faster, panic settling in where excitement wanted to be.

Tony watches helplessly as the man struggles for a few more seconds before another wave hits and drags him under.

"FUCK!"

Tony moves as fast as he can, hoping against hope that he'll reach the man on time. Once he's close enough to get off the rescue board he dives into the water after the man.

At first he can't see him underneath the water but then his eyes catch sight of something pale and he goes after it.

Tony swims quickly, and once he's grabbed onto what feels like a wrist he swims up and toward the board floating above them. When he breaks the surface he gasps and swims toward the board, lifting the unconscious man onto it.

"Stay with me, man," he says as he paddles them both back toward the crowd of people watching the spectacle.

Once on shore he hauls the limp body onto the burning sand and checks for signs of breathing. When he finds nothing he panics and checks for a pulse. He can hear one but it's faint and Tony knows that this man's life depends on what he does next.

Tony lays the man on his back and tilts his chin up to extend his neck.

Just then the beefy blond breaks through the crowd, the group he was with just behind him, before Clint steps in front of him.

Tony thanks whatever is listening that Clint and Natasha have come to keep the crowd back as he works.

He focuses and opens the man's mouth before pinching his nose. Just before he goes to press his lips to the slack mouth he hears someone scream "THAT'S MY BABY BROTHER".

Tony leans down and presses his mouth to the slender male's, breathing into it. He pulls away and presses his fists to the toned chest, counting to twenty before he leans down and presses his lips to the surprisingly soft ones once more.

"Come on, come on," Tony whispers desperately, as he comes up once to start pressing again.

It goes on like this for what feels like hours.

Tony is on the verge of a breakdown when Natasha grabs his shoulder.

"Stark, it's over," she says softly.

Tony shakes his head at that. "No!" he screams before going down once more.

"Tony, he's dead," Clint says from next to him but Tony continues, not willing to let this happen. He wanted action, but not this. Never this.

Tony counts to twenty as he pushes again. His lungs are aching and so are his arms, but that doesn't stop him as he leans down once more.

And then the slender body beneath his convulses and he moves away as the pale man coughs up water.

Tony acts quickly and rolls the man onto his side so that the rest of the water can come out and he sits back on his haunches, trembling.

"Brother!"

Tony turns his face up in time to see the blond man run past Clint to kneel down next to the smaller male.

"Easy there," Natasha says as she lays a hand on the man's shoulder to keep him from picking up the vomiting man.

Once the man stops Tony reaches for him and lays him on his back once more. He watches as emerald eyes open sluggishly to land on his and he sighs in relief when the obviously younger male coughs and takes in what sounds like a painful breath.

"You're okay," Tony says as he pushes wet strands of hair off of the pale, confused face.

"W-who are y-you?" the man asks.

Tony blinks in surprise as the soft, melodic voice reaches his ears. "Tony. I'm Tony. Who are you?"

The man coughs again before answering. "L-Loki."

Tony stares at Loki for a few seconds longer, needing to be reassured that the young man truly is breathing, before he smiles softly. "You're gonna be fine, Loki. Just take it easy for a while," he says quietly as the crowd around them disperses.

Tony moves to stand but before he can move so much as move an inch a cold hand reaches out and grabs his wrist. He looks down and follows the hand up the arm and to the face of the man he just saved. He quirks a brow and looks Loki in the eyes.

"Thank you," Loki says weakly as his brother moves in to cradle his body in his lap.

Tony moves and takes Loki's hand in his, squeezing it gently. "You're welcome."

"Will I see you again?" Loki asks, his ragged breathing having gone back to normal.

Tony smiles. "I'll be here all summer."

And Tony may be imagining, but he swears that Loki relaxes completely at that.

_Maybe this job won't be so bad after all_, he thinks as he stays with Loki and his brother, not once letting go of Loki's hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello! Last time I updated this it said that the story was complete and well... It wasn't! So here's the long overdue second chapter!  
Thank you all for the faves/follows/reviews! They were super encouraging!  
Enjoy!**

* * *

Tony was honestly surprised when he got a call one day from Loki.

The slender, pale-skinned male asked Tony to dinner as a sort of thank you for saving his life.

Tony had agreed.

Now, as he looks at himself in the mirror, he wonders why Loki wants to say thank you.

It's been a bit over a month since he'd rescued Loki, and Loki hasn't been back to the beach since.

Tony has to admit that he's thought of Loki very often ever since that day at the beginning of the summer. He's wondered how Loki is, how he's doing, if he's okay, if he's safe...

It was honestly a relief when he'd answered his phone and heard the soft, melodic, accented voice waft through the ear piece.

Now he's just nervous, and he isn't sure why.

"Stop being such a girl," Tony tells his reflection. "It's just dinner, not a date."

But even as Tony says this, he finds that he kind of wishes it was.

* * *

Tony makes it to the restaurant early, surprisingly, and a waitress leads him to the table reserved under the name 'Odinson'.

He wonders, as he takes a seat to wait, why Loki practically growled the name for the reservation. Whatever the reason is Tony's sure Loki won't want to talk about it to someone who he's only met once, and under a life-threatening circumstance no less.

He snaps his fingers and claps his hands quietly on top of the table in a nervous habit he picked up from his father. Tony quickly changes his train of thought since thinking of Howard makes him irrational, and stupidly angry. The last thing he wants is to make Loki think he doesn't want to be here.

Thankfully another waitress comes and sets a small basket of bread on the table. He thanks her and, when she asks what he'll have, he orders water. He briefly wonders if he should order anything for Loki but something tells him that the other male wouldn't appreciate that.

Fifteen more minutes pass before, at exactly eight o'clock, there is a commotion at the doors of the restaurant.

Tony looks up and watches as Loki basically shoves the hulking blonde who he was at the beach with back out the door with a furious look on his face. Loki says something, and if Tony's lip-reading skills are any good the something said is along the lines of 'It's just dinner I don't need a bodyguard!'

And then Loki breezes past the seating hostess and looks into the restaurant.

Emerald eyes meet honey-colored ones and Tony briefly reminds himself that he needs to breathe when Loki smiles at him.

Tony stands up once Loki is at the table and smiles brightly at him. "Hey, Loki. It's good to see you again!"

And Tony really means it too. He's only seen Loki when he was half-naked and dying. Now, though, he looks stunning in his black suit and dark green waistcoat. If there ever was a time that he was glad that he decided to actually get dressed in a suit to eat dinner, that time is now.

Loki smiles at Tony and quirks a brow, whether at the greeting or the fact that he stood up to greet him, Tony doesn't know.

"Hello, Tony. It's nice to see you as well," Loki says softly as he looks Tony up and down.

Tony isn't sure why, but at the way that Loki barely nods his head, Tony feels as though he just passed some sort of test.

"Er... Why don't we sit down and order something?" Tony asks after an awkward couple of seconds.

"Sure," Loki agrees.

Tony waits until Loki is seated to sit down himself.

They both pick up the menus on the table and peruse them for a few minutes, before they set them down on the table once more.

Tony looks at Loki and smiles nervously, Loki smiling back as well, and he looks down at his hands. He snaps his fingers and claps his hands as yet another silence ensues.

"Nervous are we?"

"Huh?" Tony looks up at Loki and is surprised to see an endearing and amused smile on those pale-pink thin lips.

"My mother does that when she's nervous and doesn't have anything handy to crochet with," Loki says.

"Oh." He laughs lightly and nods in answer to Loki's question. "Yeah... I guess you could say I'm nervous."

Loki smiles knowingly but he doesn't say anything more on the subject but he does stop a waiter and asks for a cup of sparkling cider.

"Fancy," Tony comments once the waiter leaves to get the drink.

Loki blushes, the pink painting his cheeks making him look younger. He gently tucks a piece of his shoulder length hair behind his ear as he answers. "I like the color of the cider. The golden hue of it comforts me. I know it's childish, but when I drink it I feel a sort of... security, if you will. Like a part of me knows that no matter how hard or how wrong things may go, they will eventually be replaced by something... or someone... who will make things better," he says as he looks at Tony through his lashes.

Tony tilts his head slightly at that before he smiles gently. "That doesn't sound childish to me," he says sincerely. When Loki's blush deepens Tony continues on. "So what happened after you left the beach that day?"

"I went to the hospital. Mostly because my mother freaked out and wanted to make sure nothing was wrong and that I was fine," Loki answers.

"Is that why you never came to the beach again?" Tony asks curiously.

"Partly. I just really don't like the beach. It's so... hot and it makes me sweat a disgusting amount and the sand is so filthy and gritty and irritating with the way it gets in places it shouldn't be and just... No. I don't like beaches," Loki answers, shuddering slightly at the thought of the unbearable heat that fateful day.

Tony chuckles lightly and he nods his head. "That's understandable. But it's been kinda boring sitting there with no one to save," he says.

"I don't need saving," Loki says, automatically on the defense.

"I wasn't talking about you," Tony says softly. When Loki looks away he swallows and changes the topic slightly. "So was there anything wrong?"

"Thankfully no. My oaf of a brother, though, had hell to deal with from my parents and myself," Loki says quietly and with a tiny smirk.

Tony relaxes at that. He was honestly afraid that something had happened to Loki after he'd left the beach that day. "That's good to hear," he says, relief flooding his voice.

Loki looks at him once more at that and it's Tony's turn to look away.

"Yes, I thought so too," Loki agrees.

The waiter Loki stopped for his drink returns and sets the sparkling cider down before asking if they're ready to order.

They both say yes and let the waiter know what they'll have. After the waiter is gone Loki puts his elbows on the table, cradling his chin on top of his interlocked fingers, and he leans forward, looking at Tony.

"So, Tony Stark... Tell me about yourself."

"What is there to tell that the press hasn't put on the front pages already?" Tony asks before answering. "I'm an orphan, or at least I was considered one until a few months ago when I turned eighteen. My dad left me too much money and a company I don't want. People doubt that I'll be able to carry on my father's legacy. I got a job this summer as a lifeguard along with my asshole friend Clint..." He trails off, not sure what else to add.

Loki clears his throat and takes a sip of his drink before settling Tony with an easy smile. "While that's all interesting, I want to know more about the things that make you furious? What interests do you have? What's your favorite food? How many testicles do you have? You know, the good stuff!" he states with a laugh.

Tony can't help but laugh at that as well. "How many testicles do I have? How many do you have?"

"It's a legitimate question," Loki states emphatically, giggling a little bit. "I once met a man on an adventure my brother forced me to go on with him that had four testicles..."

And as Tony listens to Loki tell his tale, he can't help but feel like he's found what he's been looking for all along.

* * *

_4 years later..._

"Loki, come on we're gonna be late," Tony calls up the stairs of his Malibu home.

"Since when do you care about being on time?" Loki asks as he comes down the steps a few seconds later, fixing his black bow tie around his neck.

"Ever since Pepper threatened to castrate me," Tony says as Loki stops in front of him. He reaches up and bats Loki's hands away from his neck to fix the bow tie himself.

"Mm, I wouldn't let her do that," Loki purrs as he presses himself against Tony. "This is mine," he says softly, cupping Tony's front with one hand.

Tony moans at that and he scowls playfully at his husband. "Knock it off, Lo," he whines. "You're gonna make me hard."

"That's the plan," Loki whispers as he winds his hands around Tony's waist.

"Ugh, you trickster," Tony says before he lays his lips on Loki's soft ones. He always marvels at the softness of Loki's lips, marvels at how they still feel the same as the day he met Loki on the beach all those years ago.

Loki pulls away and licks his lips, and it's all Tony can do to keep himself from taking Loki against the drawer that the key bowl is on.

"I love you, Loki," Tony whispers as he pushes a strand of Loki's hair off of his face.

Loki smiles softly, his emerald eyes glittering. "I love you too, Anthony," he says just as quietly.

They lean in simultaneously and share another kiss, one more heated than the previous one, and when they pull away they're both panting.

"Are you sure we can't just be a little bit late to this gala?" Loki asks, his hands coming up to rest on the lapels of Tony's suit coat.

Tony thinks about that, and he weighs the pros and cons of going to the gala and making love to his sexy husband. In the end... "Eh, there'll be other galas to attend," he says as he takes Loki's hand in his and tugs him back up the steps. "Come on, I wanna strip you naked and bite your butt!"

And it's music to Tony's ears when Loki laughs.


End file.
